Page 38 of Awakening the Beast
“How did today go?” I murmur, heavy with exhaustion, sinking deeper into his hold.
He sighs, the sound vibrating against me before he buries his face in my hair, inhaling the scent.
“All good,” he finally mutters, clearly tired as well.
“So, nothing exciting happened?”
He pauses for a moment before responding, “I stabbed someone in the fucking hand, but that's about it. Nothing too wild.”
“Whose hand?”
“Just some fool who had it coming,” he replies, without a trace of concern.
I fall silent but my mind is still restless. After a few beats of quiet, I speak again, my voice quieter, more hesitant this time.
“Arlo… I've been thinking a lot about my dad, and—”
His tired growl cuts me off, “Fucking leave it, Wren.” He warns.
“But—”
Before I can finish, he lifts his head and presses a firm kiss to my cheek, then he whispers into my ear, “It’s not a good idea. Leave it.”
His words sink in as I stare into the darkness and when I remain silent, he lowers his head back onto the pillow, nuzzling into my hair, his arm tightening around me.
“I just don’t want this to get any messier than it already fucking is.”
I know he's right, and I've considered his warning over and over again throughout the week, but the anger is still there. I can’t seem to shift it. What my father did to Arlo is something I can’t just let go. I need an explanation, an apology—something. Not just for me, but for the father of my child, too. I can’t help but think I need to confront my dad on this. I’m so annoyed that he did that to Arlo, to me; I can’t stop thinking about it.
After four weeks, I’m finally starting to feel somewhat normal again—the pain barely noticeable now. I’m lounging on the couch with Lumi resting peacefully on my chest when Arlo strides in from dropping Cree off at school. I glance up at him, and he looks effortlessly sharp in one of his tailored suits. As he approaches, he leans down and gently scoops Lumi from my chest with ease.
He holds her up in front of his face, her big, brown eyes locking onto his as he breaks into a bright smile. “Hello, my beautiful girl,” he coos, using that gentle, baby voice that dissolves my heart every time.
It’s clear Lumi adores it too; her eyes sparkle in response to the sound of his voice every time. I can’t help but smile as he kisses her little forehead before pulling her in for a cuddle against his chest.
His eyes meet mine after a moment, his expression shifting to something more serious. “I need to take care of some business,” he says, lifting his chin, dropping back into his usual manner. “Just stopping by to grab a few things from the arms room.”
I raise a brow, curiosity piqued as I tilt my head to the side. “Anything serious?” I ask.
He takes a deep breath, his gaze lowering to Lumi resting contentedly against him before meeting mine again. “I'm going to get Savannah.”
My brow furrows in confusion, and I sit up, feeling the tension rise. “You found her?”
Arlo gives a nod, his expression unreadable.
“How?” I ask, shaking my head in disbelief. “I’ve been trying to get her for months.”
He lifts a brow, not immediately answering as he gives Lumi another gentle kiss before carefully placing her back in my arms. I cradle her in the crook of my elbow, my eyes searching his as I wait for an explanation.
Sliding his tattooed hands into his pockets, he shrugs his broad shoulders in that nonchalant way of his, as if finding Savannah had been easy all along.
“It seems before you blew Izzy’s brains out, the information she was spilling was actually true.”
There’s a hint of something in his tone—something that makes me feel like maybe I acted too soon, like maybe I shouldn’t have pulled the trigger. I look away, the guilt creeping in, but before I can get lost in that thought, he crouches in front of me, his hands lifting his pants as he does.
“Wren, it’s fine.” He says firmly but reassuringly. “You got the information we needed regardless. She shouldn’t have played games with you, and she met her demise because of it.”
I give a small nod, still processing everything. “So what happens now?” I ask quietly.
